Former GOP Hopeful Arrested For Sending Ricin Laced Letter To President Obama

U.S marshals arrested Everett Dutschke, 41, of Tupelo, Mississippi, Saturday morning for mailing letters laced with the poison ricin to President Barack Obama and two other public officials, report Reuters.

According to the DJ Journal, Dutschke was charged with “knowingly developing, producing, stockpiling, transferring, acquiring, retaining and possessing a biological agent, toxin and delivery system, for use as a weapon, to wit: ricin, and with attempting, threatening and conspiring to do the same, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 175(a). If convicted on this charge, Dutschke faces maximum possible penalties of life imprisonment, a $250,000 fine and 5 years of supervised release.”

Dutschke, who ran for Congress as a Republican in 2007 and for local office as a Democrat in 2008, went into hiding last week after multiple agencies searched his home.

According to Reuters, the martial arts instructor also currently faces charges for fondling three adolescent girls, ages 7 to 10, from 2007-2013.

As previously reported by NewsOne, Paul Kevin Curtis of Corinth, Mississippi was initially arrested for sending the poisonous letter to the POTUS, but friends and family claimed that he was innocent. Charges against him have been dropped.

According to investigators, Dutschke is suspected of framing Curtis because the two men had an ongoing feud.

Christi McCoy, Curtis’ attorney, said that her client is happy to no longer be a suspect, but the moment is still bittersweet:

“We are relieved but also saddened. This crime is nothing short of diabolical. I have seen a lot of meanness in the past two decades, but this stops me in my tracks. “